MIAMI — Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes will rehab his right hamstring injury instead of undergoing surgery in hopes of returning before the season is over, general manager Dana Brown said Monday.
Paredes sustained what Brown described as a “severe” right hamstring strain in a loss to the Seattle Mariners on July 19. He’s had multiple rounds of imaging done since then and received a second opinion last week from a doctor, who told him his two choices were to rehab the injury or undergo season-ending surgery.
Paredes received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his hamstring and will begin his rehab stint, which will mostly take place in Houston around the team, Brown said. He added that the immediate course of action will be a “long period” of letting the hamstring rest before beginning any sort of exercise.
“His whole opinion on this is, he wants to work hard to try to get back this season,” Brown said before Houston’s series opener at Miami. “Of course, he’s going to dedicate himself to getting back.”
The Astros (62-50) currently lead the AL West with around 50 games remaining in the regular season. Surgery would have sidelined Paredes at least six months.
“He’s doing well and he’s working hard,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s in good spirits, and I know he would rather be on the field. We hope for the best.”
Paredes was injured running to first base on a single to left field during a 7-6, 11-inning loss to Seattle. He left the game and was replaced by Zack Short. The 26-year-old Paredes is hitting .259 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs this season.
Brown said that while it is too early to know if foregoing surgery could cause lingering issues in the long run, the team was informed of NFL players who have come back with no problems after rehabbing similar hamstring injuries.
“You can come back from this injury," he said. "Even though it was significant.”
PHILADELPHIA — Baltimore right-hander Grayson Rodriguez will have season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow next week.
Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino made the announcement before Monday’s game in Philadelphia.
Rodriguez started the season on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation that flared up in spring training. A rehab outing scheduled for April 17 was canceled because of a strained lat muscle.
The 2018 first-round draft pick, who missed three months of the minor league season in 2022 with a lat injury, hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 31, 2024. He finished last season on the IL with a strained lat.
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have signed right-hander Kenta Maeda to a minor league deal.
New York announced the move on Monday. The 37-year-old Maeda had been pitching for Triple-A Iowa, the top minor league affiliate for the Chicago Cubs, but he was released on Saturday.
The Yankees assigned Maeda to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Maeda had a 7.88 ERA in seven relief appearances for Detroit before he was designated for assignment on May 1. He went 3-7 with a 6.09 ERA in 17 starts and 12 relief appearances in his first year with the Tigers after agreeing to a two-year, $24 million contract in November 2023.
Maeda pitched well in his last two starts with Iowa, allowing one run and five hits in 12 innings. He went 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA in 12 starts with the Triple-A team overall.
Maeda made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, going 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA in 32 starts. He went 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts for Minnesota during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, finishing second in AL Cy Young Award balloting.
Maeda, who missed the 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery, is 68-56 with a 4.20 ERA in 226 major league games, including 172 starts.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers activated Max Muncy from the injured list and put fellow infielder Tommy Edman on the list Monday.
Muncy has been out since July 2, missing nearly five weeks with a bone bruise in his knee after a collision on a tag play during a game against the Chicago White Sox. The veteran slugger had been on a monthlong roll at the time of his injury, boosting his OPS to .832 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs.
Muncy returned more quickly than the initial six-week projection for his recovery. He was batting fifth and playing third base at Dodger Stadium on Monday night when Los Angeles opened a homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“He’s put in a lot of work to get back with this timeline,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Getting him back lengthens and strengthens our lineup.”
But just when Muncy is healthy enough to return, the NL West-leading Dodgers are losing Edman after he aggravated his injured right ankle.
Edman left a game in Boston last week after apparently spraining his ankle while running the bases, and he came out of the Dodgers’ game against Tampa Bay on Sunday with pain from running the bases again.
“Don’t know how long it’s going to be, but I do think that he’ll be back at some point,” Roberts said. “The main thing is when he gets back, how we can make sure that this doesn’t happen again. It’s kind of a ligament strain, tendons, whatever it is.”
Edman also missed time in May with a sprained ankle. Last year’s NLCS MVP is batting .228 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs this season.
Edman joins the lengthy list of Dodgers hoping to return soon from injuries to bolster the defending World Series champions’ repeat bid. Los Angeles didn’t make a bold move at the trade deadline last week, deciding to roll with its current roster while aiming for full health in October.
Utilityman Kiké Hernández went out last month with a sprained left elbow, and he isn’t close to returning despite undergoing multiple procedures including platelet-rich plasma therapy and cortisone shots.
“We’re not there yet, as far as worrying the season is lost” for Hernández, Roberts said.
Other injury news is more encouraging: Second baseman Hyeseong Kim is swinging a bat and taking grounders in anticipation of returning from left shoulder bursitis as early as this weekend, while reliever Tanner Scott will throw another batting practice session soon in his recovery from left elbow inflammation.
Roki Sasaki is still on the injured list on his bobblehead night Monday. The rookie right-hander has been out since May 8 with a right shoulder injury, but he will throw three live innings Friday after hitting mid-90s velocity in his most recent mound session. If his arm continues to feel good, he will get a minor league rehab assignment next week, Roberts said.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Aaron Judge could be back in the New York Yankees’ lineup as early as Tuesday, when their captain is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list after being sidelined because of a flexor strain in his right elbow.
Judge hit off Yankees minor league pitchers at the team’s complex in Tampa for the second day in a row Monday before flying to Texas, where he was seen in the dugout during the opener of a three-game series. Manager Aaron Boone said the two-time AL MVP could be available Tuesday.
“I don’t want to say definitely because I haven’t seen him yet, but I think that’s the plan,” Boone said before the game.
Judge hasn’t played since July 25 because of the elbow strain. An MRI showed no acute damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and he had a platelet-rich injection July 27, when he was placed on the IL in a move retroactive to the previous day.
His .342 batting average was still the best in the majors going into Monday’s games. He was fourth with 37 homers and fifth with 85 RBIs.
If Judge does return while in Texas, Boone said he will be the designated hitter. But the slugging outfielder could also play catch while there, which will help determine when he could return to the outfield.
“I’m hoping that Judgie’s clean and is playing catch either (Tuesday) or the next day and we’ll start to get an idea about a timeline for that and then we’ll see when we get back home what happens there,” Boone said.
Giancarlo Stanton has been the Yankees’ starting DH for all of his 32 games this season, including the opener against the Rangers. He missed the first 70 games of the season with inflammation in the tendons of both elbows, and Boone said he wouldn’t play the outfield in Texas if Judge does DH during the series.
The first time Judge said he felt pain in the elbow was July 22 at Toronto, after he made a strong throw home when George Springer singled to right. An inning later, Judge winced after catching a fly in the right-field corner and throwing to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. Judge was caught by a YES Network camera clenching his right hand in a fist.
The Yankees arrived in Texas after being swept in a three-game series at Miami. That dropped them to third place in the AL East behind Toronto and Boston with 50 games left in the regular season, including Monday night. They go back home after the series in Texas.
Boone said having Judge back will be good for the team.
“Yeah, he’s Aaron Judge. We know what he means to our lineup and to the guys in the room,” Boone said. “So to get him back, we’re certainly excited about that and then hopefully shortly thereafter he’s back out in the field, too.”
The Mets erased a 5-0 deficit but suffered a heartbreaking 7-6 loss in extra innings to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night at Citi Field.
Here are the takeaways...
-Locked in a scoreless pitchers' duel entering the sixth inning, things changed in a heartbeat for Sean Manaea.
With the top of the order due up, Steven Kwan started the ambush with a single. On Manaea's next pitch, he hit Angel Martinez. After a Jose Ramirez flyout advanced Kwan to third, Manaea unleashed a wild pitch that had a lucky bounce to catcher Francisco Alvarez that prevented Kwan from scoring, with Martinez able to reach second.
Things spiraled from there. First, David Fry singled home a run (Juan Soto did well to quickly get the ball in to prevent another). Soto's effort proved futile as Carlos Santana followed with a run-scoring single of his own on the next pitch. The big blow came off the bat of Gabriel Arias, who smashed a three-run homer 440 feet to left center to make it 5-0 as it all came crashing down on the left-hander, who left after 5.2 innings.
-There was something about that sixth inning, though, because after New York was stifled by Guardians starter Slade Cecconi for most of the night, the offense broke out thanks to a little bit of luck.
Francisco Lindor began the inning by striking out but ended up on first base on a wild pitch strike three. Soto also reached base fortuitously after hitting a ground ball right to the second baseman Brayan Rocchio, who just completely missed it. What was an easy double play turned into runners at the corners with nobody out.
Given a gift, Pete Alonso did not waste it, although he wasted no time by attacking the first pitch he saw and depositing it into center field for a three-run home run that sent Citi Field into a frenzy. The long ball was Alonso's 251st of his career, one shy of tying Darryl Strawberry's franchise record.
Alonso, already 3-for-3, came up to the plate in the eighth inning with another chance to do big damage after Lindor and Soto singled in front of him. With the crowd on their feet, hoping for the slugger to tie Strawberry, Alonso -- again attacking the first pitch -- ripped a run-scoring single that got the Mets closer at 5-4. Jeff McNeil's fourth straight single of the inning loaded the bases before Mark Vientos hit a sac fly that tied the game.
New York left two runners in scoring position following groundouts by Cedric Mullins and pinch-hitter Brett Baty.
-After scoreless outings by Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers and Reed Garrett, Edwin Diaz kept the game tied in the top of the ninth with a scoreless inning of his own, stranding a runner on at third base and nobody out in the process by striking out two in between a popout.
-The Mets had a chance to win it in the last of the ninth. After Alvarez singled and was taken out for pinch-runner Tyrone Taylor, Lindor doubled down the right-field line. With the speedy Taylor running, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh could've sent him, but elected to hold him at third base. The Guardians intentionally walked Soto to bring up Alonso, who was 4-for-4 on the night and chasing history. But Alonso struck out and McNeil lined out to send the game to extra innings.
-Staying in the game for defense after pinch-hitting earlier, Baty made a costly error in the 10th when he threw wide of shortstop on a bunt attempt. The error brought home a run and put Ryan Helsley in a big mess with runners at second and third and nobody out. Helsley allowed a second run (neither of them earned), and New York entered the bottom of the 10th down 7-5.
-Baty did his best to make up for his error by singling home a run to cut the Mets' deficit to 7-6 with two outs, but Luis Torrens, in his first at-bat of the night, ended the game with a deep flyout to right field.
-Before that nightmare inning, Manaea was in total control of Cleveland's hitters and looked great in his fifth appearance and fourth start of the year. Efficient with his pitch count through the first five innings and just 57 pitches thrown, it looked like Manaea was well on his way to his longest outing of the season. And while he did pitch into the sixth inning for the first time as a starter this season, he failed to join David Peterson as the only other Mets starter to complete six innings since Clay Holmes did so on June 7.
His final line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K on 85 pitches (62 strikes).
Game MVP: Gabriel Arias
His three-run bomb was the cap to the Guardians' five-run sixth inning, but his sacrifice fly in the 10th inning was the insurance run needed to come away with the win.
Yankees outfielder Austin Slater exited Monday's game against the Texas Rangers in the first inning with what the team called left hamstring tightness.
Slater, making just his second start since coming over at the MLB Trade Deadline in a deal with the White Sox, smashed a hard grounder to short in the top half of the first inning and appeared to experience some discomfort in the back of his left leg as he was running to first base.
With Slater at first after the fielder's choice and runners on the corners, Rangers starter Patrick Corbin was set to deliver the next pitch, but time was called, and Slater called for the trainer. He was hardly examined and began walking off the field toward New York's dugout on the third base side of the field under his own power, after grabbing at his hamstring.
Jasson Dominguez entered as his replacement.
Manager Aaron Boone confirmed the deadline acquisition is headed for the IL, which is a big loss for the Yankees in this regard: the right-handed batter came in to provide another weapon against left-handed pitchers. Entering the night, he had an .825 OPS in 72 at-bats against southpaws on the season.
"Feel pretty devastated, to be honest," he said about the timing of the injury. "This was especially a night where I feel like I could have helped the team in a lot of different ways. Definitely not how I wanted to start off my tenure here. But the goal now is to get healthy quick, and get back on the field."
Slater said it was too early to tell the severity of the injury and hoped to get an MRI before the club left Texas to "reevaluate" the injury.
The Yanks are expecting to reinstate Aaron Judge from the injured list just on Tuesday, so they were expected to make a move this series. But with Judge only DHing in the first games he comes back, and Giancarlo Stanton not going to play the outfield in Texas, a second move could still happen to get an outfielder.
If the Phillies can take advantage of breaks like the one they caught Monday night, this might turn out to be a pretty special year.
A challenged two-out call to keep J.T. Realmuto on base in the sixth inning was the first of many cascading events that led the Phillies to a 13-3 win over the Orioles.
Much of the crowd may have been hoping for a close game, thus demanding the services of new closer Jhoan Duran. But it was his former and current teammate who provided much of the excitement as the Phillies rode a spectacular sixth inning into a dominant win.
With two outs in the sixth, J.T. Realmuto was called safe on a ground ball to third. Replay appeared to show the throw may have beaten him by the slightest of margins.
Put it this way. If it was watched 100 times, it’d probably split down the middle whether he was out or not. But the call on the field stood and Realmuto was at first with two outs in a 3-3 game.
Nick Castellanos then singled on a 3-1 pitch to bring up Harrison Bader, the newly acquired outfielder Dave Dombrowski plucked from the Minnesota Twins, just a day after pilfering closer Duran at the trade deadline.
Not to be outdone by the weekend of Duran thrills, Bader turned on a high, 97-mile-an-hour fastball from Orioles reliever Corbin Martin and buried one deep into the left field seats for a 6-3 lead.
That was his first big moment as a Phillie.
“New team, new situation, new fan base, new city. I’m here for a reason, one singular reason, and that’s to perform and help this team win,” said Bader. “It feels really good to come through in that situation. Good to get the first one out of the way.
“I’m very flattered and grateful for the opportunity. When I’m out there and so many fans are behind me and cheering for me and wanting me to succeed for this team, it makes me feel really good and I’m just extremely grateful. I’m just going to try to settle into that and play the best I can for my teammates and for this fan base.”
He may not have had that opportunity Monday night had it not been for the hustle of Realmuto, who just barely kept that miraculous inning alive.
“Just the hustle of J.T. down that line kept the inning going; we score eight runs after that,” said Rob Thomson. “You have to give a lot of credit to J.T.” Asked what he thought of the call, Thomson said with a bit of a smirk, “I thought they got it right.”
It was a home run hitting night at The Bank as a total of eight left the yard, six by the home team. And you know when you’re talking homers this season, Kyle Schwarber has to be involved.
Bryce Harper opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning. But the Orioles quickly answered in the second, as Tyler O’Neill launched a two-run shot off Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo to give Baltimore the lead.
The Orioles went up 3-1 in the third when Jordan Westburg went yard, but Schwarber answered in the bottom of the inning when his second-deck, 427-foot blast tied it at three.
Then came the two-out magic in the sixth for the Phils. After Bader’s heroics, the Phillies got three straight singles to score another run and then a walk to Trea Turner to load the bases.
As Schwarber strode to the plate, deafening chants of “MVP” greeted him. Schwarber blasted a second-pitch grand slam to the second deck to bring four more to the plate.
“You hear MVP chants, and I think they’re warranted,” said Luzardo. “He’s a stud and I couldn’t be happier for him. It couldn’t happen to a better guy.”
“It was incredible,” said Thomson. “He’s had a great year, he really has. The home runs, the RBI, the big hits he’s had for us, the on-base (percentage). He’s just had a great year.
“He’s one of those guys. He’s very humble. He’s a great person. He does a lot for the community, does a lot in his organization and he’s a great player, great hitter. I can understand why everybody loves him. I do, too.
For good measure, Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson each hit solo shots in the eight to close out the huge scoring night for the Phils.
Luzardo delivered six innings with three earned runs and a pair of homers allowed. He did not walk a batter and struck out seven. Most importantly, he had his command, as 64 of his 91 pitches were for strikes.
His last outing was a seven inning, two-hit, no run performance against the Chicago White Sox last week. With the win, Luzardo improved to 10-5 and the Phillies upped their record to 64-48. They not have a one and a half game lead on the New York Mets in the East as they lost, 7-6, to Cleveland Monday.
“They put up some runs in the first three innings and you have to find a way to keep the team in the game,” said Luzardo. “I thought me and J.T. did a good job of that. I was grateful we could make the adjustments and kind of change the game plan on them. Anytime you can get a quality start and a win, that’s a great night.”
A great night it was for many, and Schwarber won’t forget any time soon. “I think that we always feed off energy and when you get into a spot and the crowd’s up and chanting whatever it is, you feed off it. Those are the moments that you take in as a player. Those are special things that happen and those are things that kind of just go back in the memory and hold on to those things for a while. I appreciate it. I’m just here to help these guys win on a daily basis.”
He’s doing that. Asked later about how he’s capable of doing what he’s done this season, Schwarber said, “baseball is fun.”
The Yankees haven't made a decision on reinstating Aaron Judge from the injured list just yet. That will come after the slugger arrives in Arlington later on Monday night, where New York is gearing up for a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.
Speaking to reporters before the series opener, manager Aaron Boone didn't want to definitively say that Judge will be activated before Tuesday's game and that he wants to talk to his outfielder before any such decision is made.
Judge has spent the last two days in Tampa, where he was taking live batting practice, and although no decision has been made on his return to the team, it seems likely that Judge will return on Tuesday.
It's also possible that Judge begins a throwing program at some point soon after landing on the IL with a flexor strain.
Once he returns, Judge will DH before he's healthy enough to play in the outfield.
Boone added that Giancarlo Stanton will not be playing the outfield during the series, which could mean he is relegated to the bench if Judge when Judge returns to the lineup. However, the skipper said Stanton could see time in the outfield when the Yanks return to The Bronx for a weekend series against the Houston Astros.
The Mets player development system has taken significant strides over the last couple of years, as evidenced by the trade deadline the team was able to have. To acquire Gregory Soto, Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Cedric Mullins, the Mets surrendered 10 prospects, and only one of them would have made the updated top 10 prospects. Quite a few would have made this top 30, but the Mets were able to have an aggressive deadline and still retained all of their top, top prospects.
Naturally, this has made the Mets system shallower than it was, but there are plenty of new names on this list that weren’t on it in the preseason who are having standout seasons. On the other side of the coin, the top of the system is in as good of shape as it has been in recent memory.
All of the top five belong on top 100 lists, and you can make an argument for any of the top three to be ranked as the top prospect in the system. Importantly, I think the top young players are getting close to the big leagues, whether that is this year or next.
Here is my post-draft / trade deadline Mets top 30 prospects list:
1.INF/CF Jett Williams
After missing most of the 2024 season with a wrist injury, Jett has bounced back to look like himself. As of this writing, he is hitting .278 with an .870 OPS with Double-A Binghamton and is the only player in minor league baseball with 25+ doubles, 25+ stolen bases and 10+ home runs.
The well-built 5-foot-6 Williams has above average bat-to-ball skills, plus plate discipline, and average, flashing above average power. He is a plus runner who can make an impact on the basepaths and can handle all three up-the-middle positions. Most evaluators I speak to prefer him at second base to center field, but Jett’s versatility is valuable. He is the type of player you can see being a dynamic top-of-the-order threat.
MLB ETA: 2026
2. RHP Jonah Tong
What more is there to say about Jonah Tong? He has gone from a seventh-round pick with some raw pitch metrics to an ascending prospect to genuinely one of the best pitching prospects in Minor League Baseball. In 92 innings as of this writing, Tong is second among minor league pitchers with at least 90 innings pitched in ERA (1.66). He leads all minor league pitchers in strikeouts with 146, strikeout percentage at 40.6 percent, and is third in WHIP (0.80).
His repertoire features a fastball that will sit 93-95 and touch 97 mph with elite carry on it, generating north of 20 inches of induced vertical break. He has an old-school mid-70s 12-to-6 curve and his new Vulcan change has been an incredible weapon this year. He still is working on finding a consistent tight slider / cutter shape and he will even tell you he needs continued growth with his command. Tong has a chance to be a legitimate No. 2 type of starter.
MLB ETA: 2026
3.OF Carson Benge
The Mets took Benge with the No. 19 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft as a two-way player out of Oklahoma State. He gave up pitching and has focused exclusively on hitting and he has had one of the best first professional seasons from the class. He has quickly emerged as a consensus top 100 prospect in baseball, and I think you will see him inside multiple top 50 lists soon.
Among all minor league players with at least 350 plate appearances, Benge as of this writing is second in OPS (.969) and first in wRC+ (185). Specifically, his bat has really taken off once he left the more difficult environment that was Brooklyn for Binghamton. In 25 Double-A games he is slashing .370/.462/.670 (1.132 OPS) with four doubles, a triple, eight home runs and a 16/14 BB/K ratio.
From a tool standpoint, Benge is considered above average across the board offensively, whether that is the hit tool, power tool or plate discipline. He is a professional hitter with a natural opposite field approach, but he has really shown the ability to turn on the ball at the Double-A level. His swing can be a little long, which leads some scouts to wonder if he will be susceptible to velocity, but that has yet to be an issue in pro ball.
He was mostly a right fielder in college, but the Mets have given him plenty of opportunity to play center field and they have been impressed by his growth in reactions and his reads. He is an average to slightly above average athlete, so it remains to be seen how he will translate in center field long term, but the Mets will continue to have him grow there.
Benge is flying through the system, and I expect him to be knocking on the door of the big leagues at some point in 2026.
MLB ETA: 2026
4. RHP Nolan McLean
McLean has been a model of consistency this year. After allowing only four earned runs in 26.1 Double-A innings, McLean was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse where pitchers often find a big adjustment and he hasn’t missed a beat. In 14 appearances across 77.2 innings with Syracuse he has 3.01 ERA and 83 strikeouts.
McLean will throw five pitches, headlined by his mid-80s sweeper, which is one of the nastiest pitches in minor league baseball that has generated a 30 percent whiff rate at Triple-A. He mixes in two fastball shapes in a sinker and four-seamer that average around 95 mph and will touch 97. He also has a cutter and a curveball that he can really spin but only throws 9 percent of the time. In that sample size he is generating whiffs at a 49 percent clip, so he should throw that pitch even more probably.
There are a few things for McLean to work on, specifically against left-handed hitting, but I think he is close to being big-league ready. I would personally be surprised if you did not see him in Queens in 2025.
MLB ETA: 2025
5. RHP Brandon Sproat
Sproat’s fall on this list is a combination of the excellent seasons that the above prospects have had and some level of inconsistency that Sproat has shown throughout the season. A lot of that can be attributed to his overthinking and trying to outsmart opposing hitters early in the season rather than trusting his stuff.
Since the end of June, Sproat has really turned his season around. In those 33 innings he has a 0.55 ERA with 39 strikeouts and opposing hitters are hitting only .145 with a .430 OPS against him.
He is back to attacking hitters with his fastball that sits in the mid-upper 90s and has touched 100 mph in each of those starts. He also throws a sinker that has helped him generate a 56 percent groundball rate on the season. He mixes in two breaking balls with a sweeper and gyro slider, with a change-up that could be a weapon versus lefties but has some inconsistencies.
Much like McLean, I think Sproat is nearing a big-league opportunity.
MLB ETA: 2025
New York Mets first baseman Ryan Clifford (87) works during a Spring Training workout at Clover Park. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
6. 1B Ryan Clifford
Clifford is still the biggest power threat in the Mets system, around a 60 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale. The 21-year-old has taken a step forward in every statistical category in his second year at the Double-A level. He is slashing .245/.361/.484 (.845 OPS) with 17 doubles, 21 home runs and 70 RBI while trimming his strikeout percentage by over 3 percent from last year. Those 21 home runs are tied for sixth in Minor League Baseball.
While the strikeout rate is still a little higher than you’d like at 26 percent, Clifford has taken strides in being more aggressive earlier in counts than he was in 2024, when at times it seemed like he was simply trying to work counts. In 2025 he is now hunting pitches regardless of count but has good enough plate discipline to take his walks (15 percent walk rate).
Defensively, Clifford will play some right field where he does have a strong throwing arm, but lacks in range that will likely keep him as a first baseman at the next level. I can see a promotion to Triple-A occurring in 2025, putting Clifford on the big-league radar sometime in 2026. He has the chance to be a low average, high on-base percentage middle-of-the-order power bat.
MLB ETA: 2026
7. SS Elian Peña
Peña signed with the Mets in January of 2025 for $5 million, which is the franchise record bonus for an international amateur.
Peña started his professional career in the Dominican Summer League by going 0-26. Not ideal, but in 34 games since then, Peña is hitting .330/.449/.563 (1.012 OPS) with nine doubles, five home runs, 22 RBI with 15 stolen bases while posting a strong 25/18 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
The 17-year-old comes equipped with plus bat-to-ball skills and plus plate discipline. The advanced knowledge of the strike zone showed up in showcases even before turning professional, as well as in batting practice, where he will refuse to swing at pitches that he deems to be a ball as to not make a habit out of swinging at pitches outside the strike zone.
He has good bat speed and projects to have above average power and the chance to be a 25-home run type of bat down the road as he physically matures. Defensively, most project that he will end up at third base long term, but the Mets will start his career at his position of comfort at shortstop.
Peña may have the highest ceiling of any prospect in the Mets system, but he is years away from potentially contributing at the major league level.
MLB ETA: 2029
8. 3B Jacob Reimer
Reimer is a beneficiary of the hitting lab that is in the same space as the pitching lab in Port St. Lucie. Now, there isn’t the same level of tech related to hitting as there is pitching, but the utilization of force plates as well as mechanical analysis helped develop a new stance for Reimer that has led to a breakout 2025.
After missing largely all of 2024 with a torn hamstring, Reimer has bounced back to slash .267/.369/.471 (.840 OPS) with 24 doubles, 12 home runs and 57 RBI split between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton.
Reimer has average bat-to-ball skills, but grades above average in raw power as well as plate discipline. Defensively he has enough arm and good hands at third base, enough so that evaluators believe he could stick there with first base being another option, though that would put extra emphasis on the bat.
Unlike some of the prospects above that have high ceilings, Reimer makes the list here as more of a floor player who could be a future starting third baseman.
MLB ETA: 2027
9. OF A.J. Ewing
Ewing was a fourth-round compensatory pick in the 2023 MLB Draft that the Mets received when Jacob deGrom signed with the Texas Rangers.
He was likely my biggest oversight in my preseason top 30 list, where he just missed, and he has had a massive 2025 season. In 91 games split between Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn, Ewing is hitting .318/.421/.433 (.864 OPS) with 18 doubles, eight triples, three home runs and 56 stolen bases.
Ewing is a plus athlete who has transitioned smoothly in center field. Offensively, he thrives with his pitch recognition as well as not swinging and missing (only 70 strikeouts in 91 games). I don’t think home run power will be a big part of his game, though he does have some room to physically mature and shows the ability to pull the ball with authority at times. Where Ewing could thrive is focusing on a gap-to-gap line drive approach and utilizing his wheels.
Ewing is a fun player with room for a little more physical maturation who should start 2026 at the Double-A level as a 21-year-old.
MLB ETA: 2028
10. LHP Jonathan Santucci
Santucci was the Mets’ second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Duke. He was a former two-way player who became a full-time pitcher for the first time in his last year of college.
After a slow start to his professional career, in 65 innings since May 16, the lefty has posted a 2.08 ERA and batters have hit .175 against him and he’s struck out 77.
Santucci has a clean delivery with two plus pitches with his mid-90s fastball and mid-80s gyro slider. There is some reliever risk as he needs to continue to refine his third pitch and his command, but he is a hard-working kid who Mets people believe will get there.
If he can put the package together, there is no reason this can’t be a future No. 3 or No. 4 type of starter.
MLB ETA: 2027
/ USA TODAY Sports/SNY Treated Image
11. RHP Jack Wenninger
Wenninger has had a breakout 2025 in Double-A with a 2.84 ERA in 101.1 innings with 113 strikeouts. The 113 strikeouts has him tied with McLean for 11th in all of Minor League Baseball. He has had a tick up in velocity, with his fastball now touching 97 mph. His splitter is a swing-and-miss offering and he also mixes in a two-seam fastball, curveball and gyro slider. Profiles like a back-end starter.
MLB ETA: 2027
12. INF Boston Baro
This is a buy-in on the tools. Baro hasn’t had the best season statistically, though over the last 28 days he is hitting .301/.342/.425. He has above average bat-to-ball and pitch recognition skills. He still needs to impact the baseball more, but I think this is a pure hitter. He is a slightly above average athlete who has stolen 24 bases and played second, shortstop and third, with third base likely being his best position to play to his strong throwing arm.
MLB ETA: 2028
13. OF Eli Serrano III
Serrano in a way is the opposite of Baro – he got off to a great start but has struggled more of late. He had an ankle injury that set him back, but he is getting back into the flow of things. He has 17 doubles and seven home runs in 73 games for High-A Brooklyn. He has added good weight and strength to his 6-foot-5 frame that should lead to at least above average power once he leaves the confines of Brooklyn. He also possesses a good plan at the plate. He has played a fair amount of center field and handled himself adequately, but most believe he will profile best in right field where his plus arm will play.
MLB ETA: 2027
14. RHP Will Watson
Watson was the Mets’ seventh round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of USC. He has made strides in his first professional season working with the Mets pitching development program posting a 2.76 ERA in 84.2 innings split between Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn while striking out 97. He specifically has been much better at the higher level with a 1.99 ERA for Brooklyn. He has a four-pitch mix, with a fastball that will sit 94-95 and touch 97 mph. He also throws a change-up, gyro slider and cutter. He will need to continue to refine his command, but this has the early signs of another Mets pitching development win.
MLB ETA: 2027
15. OF Nick Morabito
Morabito was the Mets organizational player of the year in 2024 and has continued on his trajectory here in 2025. He is hitting .284/.356/.412 for Double-A Binghamton with 23 doubles, four home runs and 34 stolen bases. Morabito’s calling card is his athleticism, where there is little doubt that he can handle center field at the next level. He has good bat-to-ball skills but needs to improve the quality of contact, though he has begun to pepper gaps more this year. It is possible this is a fourth outfielder profile, but I think Morabito is a future big-leaguer.
MLB ETA: 2027
16. C/1B/OF Chris Suero
The Bronx native is the most versatile player in the Mets system. He has spent considerable time at catcher, first base and left field this year where he is slashing .238/.381/.452 (.833 OPS) with 15 home runs, 59 RBI and 27 stolen bases in 85 games between High-A Brooklyn and recently Double-A Binghamton. There may not be a plus tool in his bag, but he is average across the board with a chance for above average power. His versatility will likely carry him to the big leagues, even if it is in a reserve role where he could almost be a bonus player with his versatility including catching.
MLB ETA: 2027
17. 2B Mitch Voit
Voit was the Mets first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Michigan, where he had a breakout season for the Wolverines with a 1.140 OPS. The former two-way player began focusing exclusively on hitting in his final year of college, and that will be the path forward with the Mets. Offensively, he has excellent bat speed and in-zone contact rates. His swing is natural at lofting the ball in the air and he posts above average, at times plus exit velocities. He is a good athlete who thrived at second base despite never playing it before this season. I look at him as more of a high-floor player rather than a big ceiling.
MLB ETA: 2027
18. INF Marco Vargas
Vargas was the headlining return of the David Robertson trade back in 2023. At one time he was a top 10 prospect in the system, but missed most of last year with a wrist issue and his 2025 has been just solid. He has above average bat-to-ball and pitch recognition skills but really does not impact the baseball at all. He is a solid athlete who has played around the infield and has stolen 33 bases. He probably projects more as a backup infielder type, if his hit tool carries him through the upper minors.
MLB ETA: 2027
19. RHP Dylan Ross
Ross, a pure reliever, was a 13th round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, but due to a Tommy John revision in 2023, he did not make his professional debut until September of 2024. He has since flown through the system, making it all the way to Triple-A in his first pro season. He has a 2.23 ERA in 36.1 innings with a whopping 61 strikeouts. It is a power arsenal with a fastball that will sit in the upper 90s and touch triple digits. His splitter is a plus offering at 90-91 mph and he has generated a 61 percent whiff rate on that pitch. He also has an upper 80s gyro slider that he’s thrown 30 percent of the time and has generated a 75 percent whiff rate. I wouldn’t rule out a big-league debut in 2025, but given the Mets trade deadline, I will lean 2026.
MLB ETA: 2026
20. INF Trey Snyder
Snyder was the Mets’ fifth round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, where the Mets signed him for an above slot $1,322,500. Although he hasn’t put up much by way of stats this year, the Mets are pleased with his advanced plan at the plate and work ethic. He can stand for further physical maturation to impact the ball more. Defensively he grades out above average, spending the most time at third base this year.
MLB ETA: 2029
21. RHP Ryan Lambert
Lambert, another reliever, was drafted in the eighth round in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma. In 37.1 innings split between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, Lambert has a 1.93 ERA in 37.1 innings with 60 strikeouts. He has a vintage power reliever repertoire with a fastball that sits 95-97 mph and will touch 100 mph with a power mid-upper 80s slider. I expect him to make his big-league debut in 2026, when he has a chance to be a high leverage reliever.
MLB ETA: 2026
22. RHP Jonathan Pintaro
We saw Pintaro briefly at the big-league level, and we know the story of him being signed out of independent ball just over a year ago. He is converting from starter to reliever but still manages a five-pitch mix with a four-seam fastball up to 97 mph, a cutter, sweeper, change-up and gyro slider. He likely projects best as a multi-inning relief option.
MLB ETA: Already Made It
23. C Yovanny Rodriguez
Rodriguez had a tough pro debut in 2024 after being the Mets top international signing in that period. In his second go in the Dominican Summer League, he is hitting .333 with a .958 OPS. He is a hit over power profile with an advanced knowledge of the strike zone for an 18-year-old. Defensively he has grown as a receiver, but his strength is his plus arm – he has thrown out 33 percent of base runners this year.
MLB ETA: 2030
24. LHP Zach Thornton
Thornton has been out since the end of June with an oblique injury, but prior to that he was having a big year. In 72.2 innings between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, Thornton posted a 1.98 ERA with 78 strikeouts and a minuscule 11 walks. He won’t blow anyone away with pure stuff, but he is a pitchability left-hander who can control his whole arsenal. He throws both a four- and two-seam fastball in the 91-94 mph range to go with a gyro slider, curveball and change-up. He has the feel of a future back-of-the-rotation type of starter, which would be a big player development win.
MLB ETA: 2026
25. C Daiverson Gutierrez
Gutierrez’s best trait is putting the bat on the ball and avoiding the strikeout. In 72 games with Low-A St. Lucie he has almost as many walks (47) as strikeouts (48). He shows the natural ability to loft the baseball, but he needs to hit it harder more consistently. Defensively, he is an average receiver with above average arm strength, but suboptimal pop times has led to some stolen base issues early in his career. The 19-year-old has a toolbox, but he is still very raw.
MLB ETA: 2029
26. INF Jeremy Rodriguez
Rodriguez was the prospect the Mets acquired from Arizona for Tommy Pham at the 2023 deadline. He got off to a hot start with the Mets organization, but the 2025 season has been a struggle. He still is just 19 and excels at avoiding chase and swinging and missing. He needs some real physical maturation as he does not impact the baseball much at all. He is an average athlete who can handle both second base and shortstop.
MLB ETA: 2028
27. OF Edward Lantigua
Lantigua was the Mets 2024 Dominican Summer League Player of the Year. He is having a strong first season stateside with the Complex League, hitting .288 with a .832 OPS. He has impressed with his plate discipline, with more walks (33) than strikeouts (29). He has above average raw power that is shown more in batting practice. The 18-year-old has plenty of room to physically mature and turn that raw power into game power. He is an above average athlete who plays primarily center field but has dabbled in the corners. It will be interesting to see what happens as he continues to physically mature.
MLB ETA: 2029
28. RHP Peter Kussow
Kussow is the only other 2025 draft pick to crack this list as a fourth round pick out of high school in Wisconsin. The Mets signed him for $897,500, which is second round money. He is a projectable 6-foot-5, 205 pounds with broad shoulders and some natural stuff. He is raw, as is usual for cold weather pitchers, but he has a fastball that will touch 97 mph and a power gyro slider that’ll get into the upper 80s. He has a change-up, but it needs work as he didn’t really need it in high school. He is a name to watch as we head into 2026.
MLB ETA: 2030
29. RHP Douglas Orellana
Orellana converted to a full-time reliever this year, and he has dominated the Double-A level with a 1.64 ERA in 33 innings with 46 strikeouts. He struggled in his first taste of Triple-A, but he should be back there soon. It is an extreme over-the-top delivery with his primary pitch being a mid-upper 80s tight slider/cutter. He also has a four-seam fastball that will sit in the mid-90s and a curveball.
MLB ETA: 2026
30. RHP Jace Hampson
Hampson was the Mets’ 18th round pick out of high school in Washington state in the 2024 draft. He was a two-way player that is fully moving to pitcher now. He showed a natural ability to throw strikes in his first season for the Complex League with only seven walks in 38 innings. He throws both a sinker and four-seam fastball in the 93-94 mph range and shows the natural ability to spin a gyro slider and curveball. The Mets believe there is more in the tank for Hampson, and he is a name to watch in 2026.
Mets right-hander Frankie Montas had another rough outing on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants, with manager Carlos Mendozanon-committal after the game as to whether or not Montas would make his next start.
Speaking on Monday afternoon, Mendoza explained that Montas will indeed pitch on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, but his role is still to be determined, as the Mets could potentially opt to use an opener in front of the veteran.
“We’re having those discussions here. He is going to pitch against the Brewers,” Mendoza explained. “So, [Kodai] Senga is going to go Friday after the off day, but because we have an off day in between that series, we could get creative.
"So, maybe an opener in front of him, but as of right now, on Saturday, he’s going to play a part in that game. Depending on how we get through on Friday, we’ll see, but like I said, on Saturday he’s pitching.”
Mendoza spoke with Montas about that decision, saying that Montas will prepare as if he’s making the start, whether or not an opener is used.
“He’s willing to do whatever it takes,” Mendoza said.
After missing the bulk of the first half of the season due to a lat strain suffered in spring training, Montas has struggled since returning to the mound. In seven starts, the veteran has pitched to a 6.68 ERA and a 1.545 WHIP. He’s allowed 4+ earned runs in four of those starts, and is yet to go 6.0 innings in any outing.
With Montas’ issues front and center, there’s been plenty of chatter about whether the Mets should promote one of their top pitching prospects from Triple-A Syracuse, namely Brandon Sproat or Nolan McLean.
Asked on Monday if he’s been watching those two any more closely of late, Mendoza said he’s always keeping an eye on the minor leaguers, though he did note that both players are seemingly ready, or at least very close to being ready, to pitch in the majors.
“I’ve been watching those guys for a long time,” said Mendoza. “Every time they pitch, I read the reports, I watch some of the outings, a couple innings, but nothing changes as far as my routine goes. … I know they’ve been pretty good down there, and that’s all they need to do. Continue to do what they’ve been doing.”
“They continue to put themselves in a position where, like, ‘Alright, we’re going to have that conversation.’ They’re knocking at the door. … We like where they’re at in terms of their development.”
Paul Blackburn Update
Elsewhere on the rotation front, the plan is for Paul Blackburn to make one more rehab outing for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. After that, the Mets will have a decision to make on how to use the veteran right-hander.
Blackburn has been on the IL since early July with a right shoulder impingement. In his first three outings for Syracuse, Blackburn has allowed four runs on 14 hits with 14 strikeouts to four walks in 16.2 innings
Seattle’s Cal Raleigh — better known by the catchy nickname “Big Dumper” — has lived up to the moniker, dropping baseball into the outfield seats all over the big leagues this season.
Manager Dan Wilson has been in awe of his talents.
“That’s what you get from Cal,” Wilson said. “Night in, night out, blocking balls, calling the game, leading a pitching staff, throwing runners out — that’s what Cal does and he does it very well.”
Oh ... wait a second. Wilson obviously wasn’t taking about Raleigh’s prodigious power — he’s talking about how the 28-year-old handles the most demanding defensive position on the baseball field: Catcher.
Raleigh has smashed 42 homers this season, putting him on pace for 60, with a chance to catch Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62. That would be fun to watch under any circumstance. The fact that the All-Star and Home Run Derby champion is also responsible for guiding the Mariners’ pitching staff on most nights makes it even more impressive.
Seattle is currently in the thick of the American League playoff race with a 60-53 record, and the Mariners are relying on Raleigh’s bat and his brain to try and make the playoffs for just the third time since 2001.
There’s the mental side of the job — meetings, film study, calling pitches — but there’s also the wear and tear of the physical side. The 2024 Gold Glove winner is also squatting, handling the run game, taking painful foul tips off all parts of his body, putting his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame through the ringer four or five nights a week.
All while hitting those homers.
Catching is demanding and can wear on power hitters
The fact that it took Raleigh a few years in the big leagues to emerge as a true superstar — this is his fourth full season with the Mariners — isn’t surprising. The learning curve for young catchers can be severe and the defensive part of the job takes precedence. There’s a long list of backstops who couldn’t hit a lick yet carved out long MLB careers.
Raleigh is a man of many talents and his power was always evident. He hit 27 homers in 2022, 30 in 2023 and 34 last season. Now he’s on pace for 50 long balls and maybe more. There are only five other players in big league history who have hit at least 40 homers while primarily playing catcher: Salvador Perez, Johnny Bench (twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza (twice). Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers.
It’s evidence of a player at the top of his game — and one who has come through plenty of experience.
“I don’t think I’m trying any harder or doing any more than I have in the past,” Raleigh said. “Maybe a little more focused on the right things, and not constantly trying to tweak or change something that I have been in the past. So, I think that’s been the biggest part to the success, and just trying to keep that consistent and steady.”
Wilson was more direct, putting into perspective what Raleigh has accomplished through the first four months of the season.
“It’s pretty staggering,” Wilson said.
Raleigh’s big numbers are part of an offensive surge for MLB catchers: Will Smith, Hunter Goodman, Logan O’Hoppe, Shea Langeliers, Alejandro Kirk, Salvador Perez and William Contreras are among roughly a dozen at the position who are more than holding their own at the plate.
Veteran catcher Carson Kelly is on pace to have his best offensive season in the big leagues at 31, batting .272 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs. He’s been in the big leagues for 10 years and said the balance between offense and defense is tough for young players.
“It’s almost like you’re drinking from a firehose with how much information you have,” Kelly said. “And I think, as you see catchers, as the years go on, you get smarter.
“You get smarter in your routines. and you’re able to focus on the little details,” he continued. “When you get called up as a young guy, there’s so much going on. And as the years go by and as the days go by, you get more comfortable. ‘OK, I know this, I know that, how do I really funnel this down into a couple points?’
“I think that’s, you know, when you see catchers kind of take off.”
Some adjustments are helping catchers stay fresh
One major factor for the increased offensive production for catchers could be the one-knee down defensive stance that’s been adopted by nearly every MLB catcher over the past five years.
The argument for the stance is its helpful for defensive reasons, including framing pitches on the corners.
But there’s also the added benefit that it’s a little easier on the knees than squatting a couple hundred times per game.
“A hundred percent,” said Goodman, the Rockies primary catcher who is hitting .279 with 20 homers. “You think about back in the day when everybody was squatting … being in a squat for that long can be can be hard on your legs. Getting on a knee gives your legs a little bit of rest for sure.”
Statistical trends suggest he has a point. Catchers have accounted for 12.2% of all MLB homers this season, making a slow climb from 10% in 2018.
Raleigh’s been the best of the bunch and fans — along with his catching peers — are noticing.
“It just seems like on both sides of the ball, when he’s behind the plate he’s really focused on his pitchers and calling a good game and all the things that a catching position entails, and then when he comes up to the plate, he can do damage,” Kelly said.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani has been hitting .230 since resuming pitching duties this season, a stretch of 40 games. (Chris O'Meara / Associated Press)
The Dodgers are leading the majors in on-base-plus-slugging percentage as an offense this year. They are second in the National League in scoring, and third in team batting average.
They have the league’s top players in hitting (Will Smith batting .324 and Freddie Freeman batting .306) and OPS (Shohei Ohtani at .982 and Smith at .963).
They figure to have several players who will get MVP votes at the end of the season, including the odds-on favorite for the award in Ohtani.
And yet, as the club enters the stretch run of the season, their lineup might be the biggest question mark in their bid to defend last year’s World Series championship. Since the start of July, they have scored the third-fewest runs in the majors, have the second-lowest team batting average and the fourth-lowest OPS.
They stayed relatively quiet at the trade deadline, hopeful a number of struggling superstars would get things going over the campaign’s final two months. But to this point, only Freeman (who endured a two-month slump before heating up again on their recent nine-game trip) has shown tangible signs of a late-season revival.
“If you look at it from the offensive side, as far as our guys, they’ll be the first to tell you they’ve got to perform better and more consistently,” manager Dave Roberts said this past weekend, after utility outfielder Alex Call became the team’s only deadline addition to the lineup. “That’s something that we’re all counting on … Now it’s up to all of us to go out there and do our jobs.”
While that’s true of most hitters in the lineup, all the way down to Andy Pages and (even before his most recent ankle injury flare-up) Tommy Edman, there are three star-level players in particular the Dodgers have been waiting to round back into form.
Here’s a look at the problems plaguing each of them:
Mookie Betts
First 15 games: .304 average, .554 slugging percentage, .954 OPS
Last 87 games: .222 average, .327 slugging percentage, .616 OPS
When asked on Sunday for the umpteenth time this season if he knew what was wrong with Mookie Betts' swing, Roberts failed to come up with an answer.
"Honestly, no,” Roberts said. “I know that he and the hitting coaches have been working diligently, consistently, intentionally. I think that the first thing, the easiest thing, to say is it's a mechanical thing. So I guess kind of that's where he's at. But also, I do believe that there's a mental part of it, too, which is sort of beating him down a little bit.”
When Betts was presented with the same question later Sunday afternoon, after running a season-long hitless streak to 17 at-bats and watching his batting average dip to .233, he was left searching for divine intervention.
“I’ve done everything I can possibly do,” he said. “It’s up to God at this point.”
Betts’ struggles are not for a lack of effort. He spends hours in the batting cage before (and sometimes after) almost every game. He has tried mechanical tweaks and mental cues and fundamental drills that in the past would get him back on track.
His approach has largely remained sound, as he ranks in the top 20% of big-leaguers in chase rate, whiff rate and strikeouts percentage, per Baseball Savant’s Statcast data.
And while his bat speed is in the 11th percentile of MLB hitters (and down almost two mph from his 39-homer season in 2023), it’s also about the same as he had last year, when he was still a .289 hitter with 19 home runs (in just 116 games) and a .863 OPS (which only trailed Shohei Ohtani for the best on the team).
“I really don’t know what else to do,” he said. “I don’t have any answers.”
Perhaps the most confounding metric: Betts is in the 99th percentile in “squared-up” rate, a metric that effectively determines when a ball is hit off the sweet spot of the bat.
But, even when Betts does make solid contact, he simply isn’t generating as much power as he usually does — ranking among the bottom third of big-league hitters in average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage; and watching fly balls that used to leave the yard die at the warning track, if they even make it that far.
While he has been a victim of some bad luck (his expected .252 batting average is almost 20 points higher than his actual mark), he has had no choice but to “go back to the drawing board” time and time again this year — gradually grating on his confidence as answers continually fail to appear.
“I don’t know anybody in the world that would have confidence in the stretch that’s going on [for me],” he said. “It sucks when you don’t get stuff done.”
Betts can be a streaky hitter. And the Dodgers’ hope is that, at some point over these final two months, he’ll find something that unlocks more pop in his bat, and go on the kind of heater that can make him an effective producer at the top of the lineup again.
Until that happens, however, questions will persist. About whether his shortstop play is to blame for his offensive decline (a theory multiple rival evaluators have increasingly pointed to of late as a reason for his struggles). About whether age is simply catching up to the soon-to-be 33-year-old veteran. And about whether he will ever be the same hitter he was once, amid a season-long slump almost no one saw coming.
Shohei Ohtani
First 70 games (before resuming pitching): .297 average, 1.034 OPS, 24% strikeout rate
Last 40 games (since resuming pitching): .230 average, .886 OPS, 31% strikeout rate
The easy demarcation line for Ohtani this year has been before and after he returned to pitching in mid-June, with offensive production dropping even as his stuff has ticked up on the mound.
Ohtani has still been a relatively productive hitter since then, continuing to hit home runs at a league-leading pace (he is tied with Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead with 38 on the year).
But he has become a much easier out the last couple months, as well, epitomized first and foremost by his climbing strikeout rate.
An over-aggressive approach would figure to be the easy explanation here. And there have been times, Roberts noted, the slugger appears to get into a “swing mode” that prevents him from laying off bad pitches.
But on the whole this season, Ohtani is actually swinging less often than he did last year, chasing pitches at an almost identical rate and continuing to draw more walks than almost anyone in the majors (his 71 free passes are seventh-most this season).
Ohtani’s problem has been an increase in swing-and-miss, with the reigning MVP coming up empty on more than one-third of his hacks.
It might simply be a byproduct of the added physical workload he has taken on since resuming two-way duties. But he has insisted such problems remain fixable, citing a lack of balance and consistency in his swing mechanics.
Like Betts, Ohtani can also be prone to more extreme highs and lows over the course of a year. Last season, for example, he hit just .235 with an .886 OPS in August, before turning around in September and batting .393 with a 1.225 OPS.
The Dodgers could use another late-season tear like that again this term. Whether he can do it while also ramping up as a pitcher looms as one of the biggest questions facing the Dodgers down the stretch this year.
Teoscar Hernández
First 33 games (pre-groin strain): .315 average, nine home runs, .933 OPS, 18% strikeout rate
Last 57 games (post-groin strain): .211 average, seven home runs, .619 OPS, 28% strikeout rate
Hernández's midseason drop-off is perhaps the easiest to explain of any recently scuffling Dodgers hitter.
Before suffering a groin/adductor strain in early May, he was on an All-Star (and potentially even MVP-caliber) pace after re-signing with the Dodgers in the offseason.
Since then, however, the 32-year-old simply hasn’t looked the same — both at the plate, where he hasn’t been able to drive the ball as he usually does, and in the field, where his range has been clearly limited.
To that end, a foul ball he took off his foot last month hasn’t helped matters either.
There have been some recent signs that Hernández is getting healthy again. His slugging percentage has started to tick back up since getting a week off for the All-Star break. He has had more hard contact, especially to center and the opposite field.
“At the beginning [after my injury] it was a little hard,” Hernández said after hitting home runs in consecutive games at Fenway Park last week. “First I got my groin, then I got the foul off my foot. Couldn’t put a lot of weight [on it] for like two weeks. Thank God there was the break in there. I got those four days off, going through that and getting some treatment, getting some rest. And finally feel like myself again.”
But, it still hasn’t resulted in a total reversal of fortunes, with Hernández finishing the road trip going just five-for-25 with nine strikeouts and only one extra-base hit.
Last year, Hernández’s ability to be a run-producer behind the Dodgers’ star trio of hitters was crucial to both their regular-season and postseason offensive success. Lately, though, he has been more strikeout-prone and less opportunistic at the plate, contributing to a string of frustrating recent defeats marked by squandered chances in leverage opportunities.
“He's bearing down, and he's not trying to give at-bats away,” Roberts said. “He's grinding.”
Much like the Dodgers’ other scuffling stars, the team will need him to fully snap out of it, and live up once again to the expectations the club had for him and the lineup at large.
The Pirates scored two runs off new closer Randy Rodriguez, getting a 5-4 walk-off win. The tying run came on an RBI single by former Giants top prospect Joey Bart, and the winning run came a batter later on a slow roller to first. Jack Suwinski, the runner at first, slid home safely just ahead of the throw.
Rodriguez’s rough outing — and the poor night for the bullpen overall — cost Justin Verlander his 264th win. Verlander looked like a 35-year-old Verlander, but the Giants gave up four runs after he departed.
Coming off a series win in New York, the Giants initially found a soft landing in Pittsburgh. They were up against right-hander Johan Oviedo, who was making his season debut after missing two years with injuries, including Tommy John surgery.
Oviedo lasted just one inning, and the Giants left him off the hook. He needed 43 pitches in the first and walked three, but the lineup pushed just two runs across. That was it until the sixth, when Jung Hoo Lee made it a 4-1 game with a two-run triple, but the lead wouldn’t last.
The Pirates had Verlander on the ropes in the fourth, with an error putting runners on second and third with one out. A groundout erased the runner on third, and J.P. Martinez came out for a meeting to let Verlander catch his breath. He responded with his most impressive sequence of the season.
Old friend Joey Bart fell behind in the count and then took a 98.3 mph fastball. On 2-2, Verlander went back to the heater, freezing Bart with a perfect 97.8 mph fastball on the outside corner.
The pitches were the two fastest of the season for Verlander, and the 98.3 mph bolt was his first at 98-plus since Aug. 16, 2022. Not too bad for a 42-year-old.
Climbing The Charts
With his five innings, Verlander reached 3,510 for his big league career. That moved him past a Giants legend on the all-time leaderboard.
Verlander passed Juan Marichal (3,507) and moved into 71st in MLB history. Next up is Adonis Terry, who last pitched in 1897 and is four innings ahead of Verlander. (Terry once pitched 476 innings in a season; it truly was an entirely different era.)
Verlander only has thrown 94 1/3 innings this year, but in his prime he was as durable as anyone in the game. He reached 200 innings 12 times and led the majors in innings four times.
A New Look
Without Tyler Rogers (Mets) and Camilo Doval (New York Yankees), the Giants have to experiment in the late innings. That led to some new faces as they were trying to hold on for Verlander on Monday night.
Rookie Carson Seymour had a quick sixth, striking out a pair, but manager Bob Melvin sent him out for the seventh and paid for it. Seymour gave up a two-run blast to Suwinski, giving him five homers allowed in 11 innings this year.
Spencer Bivens got the eighth, which belonged to Rogers for four months.
Bivens retired a pair and gave up a single to Nick Gonzales. When Rodriguez entered for a four-out save attempt, Gonzales was thrown out trying to steal second on Patrick Bailey.
With the Yankees in need of adding some pitching depth, the club has signed right-hander Kenta Maeda to a minor league contract.
Maeda, 37, was designated for assignment and later released by the Detroit Tigers in early May and had been pitching in the Chicago Cubs organization before being released on Saturday.
In seven games this season with the Tigers, the right-hander pitched to a 7.88 ERA over 8.0 innings.
Maeda has had mixed success during his major league career, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 and then finishing as the AL runner-up for Cy Young in the shortened 2020 season, when he pitched to a 2.70 ERA.
If Maeda were to sign and make the big-league roster, it’s unclear if the Yankees would use him as a starter or a reliever. He hasn’t started a game this season, but does have 172 career big-league starts.
The Yankees saw Luis Gil make his season debut on Sunday in Miami, but the right-hander looked rusty in his first start following a lat injury. The Yankees also recently released Marcus Stroman, leaving them with a current five-man rotation of Carlos Rodon, Max Fried, Will Warren, Cam Schlittler, and Gil.
